The Padres lost another game Thursday night. They scored just one run or less for the 15th time in 48 games. They watched Anthony Rizzo – hurts, doesn’t it? – knock in more than that with one swing of the bat as the Padres lost their fourth straight game while sinking 8½ games behind the Giants in the NL West.

“Two months into a season in which they have committed to operating at a financial loss — having raised the payroll more than $20 million over last year and pledged another $25 million to Petco Park improvements — lead investor Peter Seidler, Executive Chairman Ron Fowler and CEO Mike Dee are steamed at all the losing.”

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The injury bug struck again. This time, it’s left-hander Robbie Erlin joining right-hander Andrew Cashner on the disabled list with elbow soreness. Right-hander Tim Stauffer will take Erlin’s start today against the Cubs. Also from U-T San Diego’s Padres notes: Carlos Quentin likely won’t start a game this weekend and right-hander Casey Kelly will have his next rehab start skipped after experiencing soreness after his last outing, his best thus far.

In town to face the team he hit one homer for before he was traded out of town, Rizzo won’t shy away from taking advantage of the shift to get singles over extra bases. Rizzo has eight homers in what’s looking like a bounce-back campaign in Chicago.